This invention relates to a handle for a cooking utensil that may be used to lift and move the utensil, as well as to hold the lid of the utensil securely in place so that liquid contents of the utensil may be poured out of the utensil with ease.
It is common for utensils to be used to cook solid food in a liquid such as water. The water and solid food is placed in the utensil, the utensil placed on a stove, the contents of the utensil heated, and the food thereby cooked. A lid is typically placed on the utensil to prevent the liquid from boiling or splashing out of the utensil and to retain as much heat as possible inside the utensil while the contents are being cooked, thus reducing the time needed to cook the food.
Common types of utensils used for this purpose are pots, pans, saucepans, kettles, and other containers used to cook food. Such pots, pans, and other such utensils frequently have side handles that permit both handles to be grasped at the same time when the heated utensil must be moved onto or removed from a stove or other surface. Such dual side handles permit the utensil to be handled and moved in a stable, safe, and balanced manner.
When the cooking of the food is completed, it is desirable to remove the cooking liquid, or at least a portion of the cooking liquid, from the container before the food is removed. The removal of the liquid makes it easier and safer to remove the food and, at the same time, removes excess liquid so that the liquid is not transferred to the serving dish in which the food is to be placed, or to the plate from which the food is to be eaten. In addition, if food is cooked in water, it may be desirable to remove the water from the cooked food in order to add new or additional ingredients such as sauces, which may be then be either further cooked or served.
In conventional utensils it can be a difficult and hazardous task to remove the liquid from the utensil after the food is cooked and the food and liquid are still very hot. If the lid is locked onto the utensil, it is necessary to unlock the lid, which can cause burns and possibly spill the contents of the utensil, or cause the utensil to come into contact with and burn or injure persons. If the lid is removed completely from the utensil, it is difficult, if not impossible to pour the liquid from the utensil without also pouring all or a portion of the food out of the utensil.
Typically, the liquid is poured out of the utensil by placing the lid ajar on the top of the utensil, grasping the handle or handles and the lid at the same time with a potholder or other heat protection for the hands, and then, while jointly grasping the lid and handle, tipping or inverting the utensil and pouring the liquid from it, the lid being ajar to permit the liquid to escape while at the same time preventing the food contents from being poured out of or falling from the interior of the utensil. This method of liquid removal has obvious dangers. The user may lose the joint grip on the handle and lid or the contents of the utensil may suddenly shift onto the lid and force the lid completely off of the utensil, resulting in spilling of both the food content and the dangerously hot liquid.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a utensil handle that can easily and safely be grasped to pour hot liquid from utensils and at the same time hold the lid firmly on the utensil, and it is also desirable to have a conventional handle for use in handling a utensil when it is not necessary to pour liquid from the utensil, to invert or tip a utensil, or have a lid on the utensil.
The prior art discloses a variety of handles that include devices that may be manipulated to secure or lock the lid of a container to the container itself and manipulated a second time to unlock the lid or remove the securing device. Examples are Kramer et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,416,701 which discloses a handle with a latch to secure the lid to a portable picnic chest; Ostrowsky et al. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,518,731 and 3,471,054 which disclose a handle with a clamp or clasp to secure the lid on the utensil; Wenthorf U.S. Pat. No. 1,698,929 which discloses a handle with a clamp to secure or lock the lid to the utensil; Graham U.S. Pat. No. 3,080,996 which discloses a handle with a device to lock the lid on the utensil; Shirae U.S. Pat. No. 3,592,352 which discloses a handle that has a locking device to secure a lid on ajar; Minsky et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,104 which discloses a latch for locking the lid of a coffee percolator; Lee U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,577 which discloses pivoting handles to lock a lid on a trash container; Beluzzi U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,959 which discloses a handle device to secure and lock the lid of a pressure cooker; Humphrey U.S. Pat. No. 1,666,012, which discloses a hook and latch arrangement to lock a cooking utensil; Richardson U.S. Pat. No. 1,384,851, which discloses a hook arrangement to secure a lid to a utensil that is operated by moving the handles toward and away from one another; Phillips U.S. Pat. No. 2,403,191, which discloses a utensil with a pivoting handle attached to a lid, the handle being raised and lowered to place the lid on or off the utensil respectively; and Ito et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,039, which discloses insulated food container with device for locking the lid on the container.
The prior art also discloses handle devices that can be manipulated or pivoted to secure the lid on a cooking container, but where the moveable portion of the handle structure is limited by the structure of the handle, or a trigger is used to manipulate or pivot the securing device. Examples are Trulock U.S. Pat. No. 1,685,560 which discloses a handle having a hook and detent that is triggered to secure the lid on a coffee pot or similar container while pouring coffee from the pot and further triggered to disengage the detent and hook; Coppier U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,978 which discloses a spring moveable handle device to holding a lid on a kettle such as a teakettle; and Munari U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,984 which discloses a utensil handle with an interior fixed part connected to the utensil and a pivotable exterior part that secures the lid to the utensil when the utensil is inverted to strain the contents of the container.
Further, German Patent No. 835,341 discloses a utensil with a single pivoting handle that secures a lid to a utensil when the utensil is lifted.
None of the prior art devices or patents, however, appear to provide for: a handle with an outer handle body firmly attached to the utensil that can be used as a conventional handle; a handle with an interior pivotable lever that secures the lid to the utensil while the utensil is inverted for pouring; a handle with an interior privotable lever that has a center of rotation and shape that biases it in the open position away from a fixed exterior body of the handle; a handle with an exterior body that can be used to lift and move the utensil while the interior lever is in it open position so as not to interfere with the use of the fixed exterior body of the handle; a handle with an interior pivotable lever whose motion is not restricted or limited by the exterior part of the handle body or some other portion of the handle structure so a to limit the pivoting of the interior lever; a handle with a pivotable interior lever that maximizes the force applied to the lid to secure the lid to the utensil while the interior lever is pivoted into contact with the lid and liquid contents are being poured from container; and a handle with a pivotable interior lever that rotates into and out of securing contact with the lid without being restricted or limited in such pivoting movement by any other part of the handle structure, such that the handle will still operate properly if the handle parts are not manufactured to precise tolerances, or become dislodged from their original positions and alignment due to extensive use, wear, or accidental damage to the handle parts.
The inventive handle assembly has a body that is fixed to a side of a utensil. The utensil has a lid to contain the solid and liquid contents of the utensil, and the utensil has a spout to remove the liquid contents of the utensil without removing the lid or separately holding the lid so that it does not separate from the utensil while the liquid contents are poured out of the utensil. The handle body forms an opening to accommodate an interior, pivotable lever that is moveably secured to the body by an axle spanning and secured to sides of the opening. The body also has an outer end that may be grasped by a user. The lever has a grip that may be grasped by a user to pivot the lever and a clamp that makes contact with a rim of the lid or an upper edge of the utensil when the grip of the lever is grasped and lifted by a user.
The lever of the handle has a shape and center of rotation such that, when the user is not grasping the grip, the clamp pivots away from the utensil and the grip is pivoted away from the outer end of the handle. When the lever is in this position, the grip of the lever may be used to lift, move, and other wise manipulate the utensil without the need to use or manipulate the body of the handle.
When the grip of the lever is grasped by a user of the utensil, the grip of the lever moves upward and the clamp of the lever moves downward until it comes into contact with the rim of the utensil, or, if the lid is on the utensil, the clamp of the lever comes into contact with the lid of the utensil. When the lever is in the clamping position, it is not limited in its motion by any other part of the handle, and, as a result, the entire weight of the utensil and its contents, as well as the pressure applied by the user on the lever, are effectively applied as a clamping force between the lid and the clamp end of the lever. When the lever is in clamping position against the rim of the lid, the utensil may be tipped or inverted to pour off the liquid contents of the utensil through the spout without removal or adjustment of the lid so as to allow the contents to escape. In addition, if the body of the handle, the lever, or the axle are not made exactly within manufacturing tolerances, the lever still functions so as to apply the maximum clamping force to the lid to prevent it from dislodging when the utensil is inverted to pour off liquid from the other contents of the utensil.
Although the handle assembly is here described in the context of a utensil for cooking food, the inventive handle assembly can also be used in other contexts. More specifically, it can be used on any utensil from which it is desired to pour liquid while at the same time securing a lid on the utensil.